C.V. stands for Chlorella Vulgaris; Protect: represents one of the
important health effects of chlorella namely the protection of the
human body from pollutants (e.g. heavy metals, dioxin, PCBs etc.) and
other harmful substances such as various bacteria and viruses.

Abstract
Microalgae are aquatic organisms possessing molecular mechanisms that allow them to discriminate non-essential heavy metals from those essential ones for their growth. The different detoxification processes executed by algae are reviewed with special emphasis on those involving the peptides metallothioneins, mainly the post transcriptionally synthesized class III metallothioneins or phytochelatins. Also, the features that make microalgae suitable organisms technologies specially to treat water that is heavily polluted with metals is
discussed.2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.